Aston Community Education Trust Business Studies (232R)

Postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) with qualified teacher status (QTS)

• Accredited body: Sheffield Hallam University
• Financial support: Student finance if you’re eligible
• Qualification:
  PGCE with QTS

  A postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) with qualified teacher status (QTS) will allow you to teach in state schools in England and may allow you to teach in other parts of the UK.

  It may also allow you to teach overseas, though you should always check what qualifications are needed in the country you’d like to teach in.

  Many PGCE courses include credits that count toward a Master’s degree.

• Age range: 14 to 19 - secondary
• Course length: 1 year - full time
• Date you can apply from: 11 October 2022
• Date course starts: September 2023
• Website: http://www.astonacademy.org/index.php/about/school-direct

Contents

Course summary

You will spend the majority of your time in your main placement school which, depending on your location, will usually be Aston Academy. You will be part of a team from day one and will receive high training from experienced teachers on a wide range of topics. One day a week you will be at Sheffield Hallam University giving an excellent blend of practical experience and also chance to reflect and make use of the research expertise of university-based tutors. Additional training will take place at other academies within Aston Community Education Trust.

To complement your development as a teacher you will complete two assignments at Masters level, exploring key issues relating to your subject and your role.

Key Features of the course

• A dedicated team of tutors who provide excellent support for all students.
  
• A strong subject-specific cohort. You will have chance to develop working relationships with your peers whilst in the university, which provides you with a support network once out on placement.
• The chance to reflect. Teaching is an intensive profession, and at the start of your career it is essential that you have the opportunity to develop skills as a reflective practitioner. During your placements, for example, you will spend every Friday in the University sharing your experiences and considering ways in which you can develop your teaching.

For information about the university based elements of the course please click here

School placements

Your placements will consist of:

• At least two days in a primary school early in the programme
• Your main placement for the majority of your training
• A 5 week contrasting placement at another school in our partnership

We work with 13 schools in Sheffield, Derbyshire, and Rotherham. This range of inner-city, suburban and rural contexts provides rich opportunities for diverse and balanced experiences in schools, and we work hard to secure you two contrasting placements.

When arranging placements, we will aim to take into account your personal circumstances.

Entry requirements

Qualifications needed

An undergraduate degree at class 2:2 or above, or equivalent.

Your degree subject should be in business studies or a similar subject. Otherwise you’ll need to prove your subject knowledge in some other way.

Grade 4 (C) or above in English and maths, or equivalent qualification.

We’ll consider candidates with pending GCSEs.

We will not consider candidates who need to take a GCSE equivalency test.

Fees and financial support

The course fees for UK students in 2023 to 2024 are £9,250.

About the training provider

Aston Academy is the lead school for Aston Community Education Trust (ACET) School Direct. At Aston Academy we are committed to providing high quality learning and teaching which is reflected in our Ofsted report where we were judged to be a Good provider.

Trainees are placed at one of our 18 primary or secondary partnership schools in Sheffield, Rotherham and Derbyshire. Our partnership schools vary in their educational setting giving trainees access to a variety of experiences over a wide geographical area.

For secondary, the majority of student teachers will be at Aston Academy for one of their two placements and have another placement at one of our partnership schools. Further information can be found here or here

For primary including early years, trainees have their placements at two of the ACET junior academies. Further information can be found here

Last year 100% of ITT trainees rated their overall placement at Aston Academy as good or outstanding.

So far this year 100% of candidates have rated their in school training as excellent.

Interview process

Once we receive your application we will consider a number of factors in making our decision about whether to interview you including your qualifications and personal statement.

Your interview will take place at Aston Academy and will include the following:

• Welcome, a tour of the school and introduction to the school and course
• A presentation to demonstrate your subject knowledge.
• A teaching activity with a small group of students.
• A formal interview.

International candidates

You’ll need the right to study in the UK. You already have this if, for example, you:

• are an Irish citizen
• have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (you may still be able to apply)
• have indefinite leave to remain in the UK

If you do not already have the right to study in the UK, you may need to apply for a visa. The main visa for fee-paying courses (those that you have to pay for) is the Student visa.

To apply for a Student visa, you’ll need to be sponsored by your training provider.

Sponsorship is not available for this course.

If you need a visa, filter your course search to find courses with visa sponsorship.

Alternatively, check if you’re eligible for a different type of visa, such as a Graduate or Family visa, that allows you to train to be a teacher without being sponsored.

Find out more about training to teach in England.

International qualifications

If your qualifications come from a non-UK institution, we may want to see a ‘statement of comparability’ from UK ENIC. This will show us how they compare to UK qualifications.

You can call Get Into Teaching on 0800 389 2500 for:

• guidance on the UK equivalents of your qualifications
• a free statement of comparability once you’ve submitted your application (if we ask you for this)

Training with disabilities and other needs

As a student teacher at The University of Sheffield you will have full access to support if you have a disability or additional needs. Full information is available here

Additionally, we work closely with all our school partners to ensure that your needs are met whilst on placement, offering support and adaptations where necessary.

The more we know about your additional needs, the easier it is for us to support you to succeed in your development as a teacher.

Contact this training provider

• Email: schooldirect@astonacademy.org
• Telephone: 0114 2872171
• Website: http://www.astonacademy.org/index.php/about/school-direct
• Address: Aughton Road; Swallownest; Sheffield; South Yorkshire; S26 4SF

Support and advice

You can speak to a teacher training adviser for free, dedicated advice. They are all experienced teachers who can give you one-to-one support with your application. They can also help you get school experience, and find events where you can speak to training providers and teachers.

Call Get Into Teaching free of charge on 0800 389 2500, or chat online Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm (except public holidays).

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